“The worth of our mission is not in what we do but in the One who sends us”
Fr. Ivo, Comboni Missionary
The third formation meeting took place in Viseu, Portugal, on November 18-20. The topic was “Mission today: How? Why? To what end? The Church in action.” The CLM Susana Vilas Boas was in charge of the organization of this weekend.
Susana opened the first formation session questioning us with this quote by Fr. Ivo, which eventually served as the guideline for the entire meeting. It tells us that we are sent by the Father who is always with us and in whom we place all our trust.
To me in particular it gave the assurance that I am not walking alone, that he helps me and will stay with me come what may.
The CLM vocation, just like any other Christian vocation, is not limited to “me”, but always includes “us.” It is very good to discover and to feel it.
The meeting was divided into two sessions: The Acts of the Apostles and the CLM Directory.
I greatly enjoy rediscovering the Acts of the Apostles. With Susana, we lived through the book, some of the more important events, the historical background and, finally, in small groups we were able to delve more deeply into some of the events described by Luke.
On Saturday afternoon, after sharing the group work, we started on the second part. It was a good moment for clarifying some doubts and some crucial aspects in the CLM formation journey.
The evening was spent together with charades on the Acts of the Apostles, with some partying, good conversation and… jokes.
On Sunday morning, it was great to be able to listen to Marcia Costa, who told us about how and when she joined the CLM, her family’s reaction when she decided to leave for the Republic of Central Africa, how she lived and what she did. It was also good to listen to Susana and to understand a little better the realities they faced, and the challenges. We also had the beautiful witness of Ana and Arthur Valente, a couple who upon retirement gave their life to mission work.
Well… It is great to realize that there is not a set age, and that we have a lot of time to do good and make a difference.
By Sofia Coelho
